About SwedBio

SwedBio is a joint initiative by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Swedish Biodiversity Centre (CBM), focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem services for local livelihoods and poverty alleviation. SwedBio was launched in March 2003. A second phase of the programme (2005-2007, including extensions for 2008 and 2009) has been agreed between Sida and CBM.

We work with all aspects of biodiversity that are relevant for local livelihoods and poverty alleviation. The following points of departure provide the direction of SwedBio´s work:

• Biodiversity is a key resource for poor people. Biodiversity is a crucial resource for local livelihoods and poverty alleviation; food security, income generation, health etc - and as safety nets and to reduce vulnerability. All levels of biodiversity are important; genes, species and ecosystems - and the functions and services these perform.

• Good management and sustainable use of biodiversity resources is critical. Pressure on biological resources is increasing. This challenge must be met without jeopardizing the very resource base on which societies and depend. Focus must therefore be on the interaction between people and the land- and/or seascapes (and the biological resources therein) in which people live. Integration of biodiversity aspects and concerns in different sectors (forestry, agriculture, fisheries, rural development, education, health etc) is paramount.

• Access to biodiversity and its benefits is a human rights issue: Access to, control of, and sharing benefits from biodiversity are of particular importance to local communities and indigenous peoples. This includes analysing and addressing unequal power relationships relating to management and use of biodiversity resources, including the rights and role of women.

• Good governance and appropriate institutional frameworks, including decentralised approaches to biodiversity management and local participation, is crucial. Present incentive frameworks and policies, as well as governance failures and corruption, are among the most important drivers behind loss of biodiversity resources. Promoting good governance and appropriate institutional frameworks based on understanding of the ecological conditions and laws is thus critical. A pro-poor strategy to biodiversity management further entails involving local communities and poor people themselves - and building on their views and local and traditional knowledge - to sustainably and with increased productivity manage biodiversity resources. This may also in many cases provide the best opportunities both for mitigating against corruption and for ensuring a sustainable utilisation of all levels of biodiversity.